Not a month goes by without the transalpine label Frontiers releasing an album from a combination of talents. This time, it's Noora Louhimo, frontwoman of the heavy metal band Battle Beast since 2012, and Netta Laurenne from Smackbound, who gathered around the guitar of Nino Laurenne (Thunderstone) who is none other than Netta's husband. The couple also wrote the compositions.
'Time To Kill The Night' opens the opus in the best way with a dynamic rhythm and a catchy chorus. But the self-titled track and 'Striking Like A Thunder' do even better. These two explosions of easy-listening melodic metal are the hits of the album. Basically addictive with melodies that are close to the best Within Temptation songs, these two tracks haunt the mind from the first listen.
The rest of the album is also worth the detour. Notably 'Bitch Fire', an obvious tribute to Judas Priest that moves at the speed of a crazy car and 'Hurricane Love', a ballad on which Within Temptation once again hovers and where the demons become angelic. Let's also highlight the very successful 'Viper's Kiss' which, during some guitar notes, evokes Mike Oldfield's 'Moonlight Shadow'. This mid-tempo song is very well mastered and has a very strong chorus, which shows, if there was any doubt about it, the extraordinary vocal range of the two ladies.
Frontiers doesn't always succeed in its attempts to bring together talents, but here the attempt is quite conclusive. Melodic metal fans who like female vocals, and Within Temptation fans, if they don't mind the lack of symphonic aspects, should definitely adhere to this "The Reckoning" which is full of guitar riffs and emphatic melodies.